Hearing and Ear Disorders Services

Our ears connect us to the outside world and contribute to our sense of balance. When functioning well, they allow us to hear the faintest sounds and stand upright without falling over. But a number of disorders can interrupt this perfect scenario, resulting in hearing impairment, ringing in the ears, or vertigo. Our physicians are dedicated to the treatment of the diseases of the ear and skull base.

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Conditions

At UC Irvine Medical Center, our specialists are experts in diagnosing and treating ear, hearing, balance, facial nerve disorders, and skull base tumors. Among these conditions are: 

• Hearing loss. About 30 million Americans have hearing impairment—and the number continues to grow. UC Irvine Medical Center otolaryngologists are experts in evaluating hearing loss, which falls into two broad categories:
  • Sensorineural hearing loss, which involves nerve failure in the inner ear. This type of hearing impairment is often permanent, but can be remedied by a hearing aid. In cases of profound deafness, a cochlear implant may help. In cases of one-sided deafness, a BAHA device may help.
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  • Conductive hearing loss, which involves abnormalities in the middle and outer ear such as infections, earwax or a ruptured eardrum.
• Tinnitus. At least 30 million Americans have tinnitus, which is characterized by ongoing ringing, buzzing, hissing or other noise in the ear. This condition can become so severe that it interferes with daily activities. Special hearing aids that emit noise at barely audible levels have proven helpful to many tinnitus patients.  More »
• Ear infections. Seventy-five percent of children experience an ear infection by the time they reach three years of age, but adults can also be affected by this condition. Inflammation of the ear canal, often called swimmer’s ear, and inflammation of the middle ear due to bacterial or viral infections can cause acute pain and partial deafness. A thorough examination is necessary to diagnose ear infections, usually followed by antibiotics, and in some cases, other medication.
• Chronic ear infections.  When the eustachian tube to the ear is blocked, repeated infections of the space behind the ear drum occurs.  The eustachian tube is the passage from the back of the nose to the space behind the ear drum. The treatment of chronic otitis media (ear infections) may require medication and surgery. Cholesteatoma, or the growth of skin behind the ear drum is generally a result of chronic otitis media and requires surgery to correct the condition and prevent loss of hearing.  More »
• Ménière's disease. More than 600,000 people in the United States have Ménière's disease. This debilitating condition causes sudden attacks of impaired hearing and severe dizziness. After a careful evaluation, patients with Ménière’s disease are treated with medication, lifestyle changes, and in some cases, surgery. Our expert Neurotology team strives to offer the latest and the most appropriate treatment for each patient with Meniere’s disease. More »
• Sudden deafness. More than 4,000 cases of sudden deafness occur in the U.S. each year. This condition is a medical emergency and requires immediate evaluation and treatment by a multidisciplinary medical team. If not treated within the first few days, sudden deafness can be permanent. Sudden deafness is also a common presenting symptom of acoustic neuromas (a noncancerous tumor that impacts the hearing or balance nerves connecting the ear to the brain) and therefore patients with sudden deafness must undergo testing to rule out the presence of the tumor on the hearing or balance nerves.
• Acoustic neuroma. Each year, about 5,000 Americans develops an acoustic neuroma—a noncancerous tumor that impacts the hearing or balance nerves connecting the ear to the brain. Acoustic neuromas result in dizziness, loss of balance, hearing loss, tinnitus, headaches and ear pain. If performed early enough, surgery can eradicate symptoms, often restoring hearing. The multidisciplinary skull base team at UC Irvine is the only team of its kind in Orange County with the expertise to treat these tumors and other tumors of the skull base. More »
• Skull base tumors. Skull base tumors are a group of tumors that grow along different areas under the brain or within the bottom part of the skull. While most of these tumors are benign, due to their location, which is close to the brain and various nerves, their growth can cause significant problems. More »
• Surfer ear. Surfer ear is a condition where the bone of the ear canal develops multiple bony growths called exostoses. Over time, this can eventually cause a partial or even complete blockage of the ear canal. More »
• Otosclerosis. Involving an overgrowth of the bone called the stapes located between the middle and inner ear, otosclerosis leads to hearing loss. Hearing aids can help. In advanced cases, however, an operation called a stapedotomy can replace the faulty bone with a prosthesis. UC Irvine surgeon Dr. Djalilian is one of few physicians in Southern California with the expertise to treat otosclerosis. More »
• Vertigo. Causing a sensation of moving or spinning, vertigo is sometimes combined with nausea and vomiting. It can be caused by a wide range of conditions affecting the inner ear, brainstem, cerebellum or  vestibular nerve. Among them are Ménière's disease, labyrinthitis, ear infections, acoustic neuromas, benign positional vertigo and the side effects of medication. Treatment depends on identifying and eliminating the underlying cause. In some cases, vestibular rehabilitation therapy can help. It involves exercises designed to teach the brain to adapt to the vertigo. More »
• Facial Paralysis. The diagnosis and treatment of facial paralysis is generally carried out by your physician in addition to a consultation with an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat specialist). At UC Irvine, sub-specialists in the treatment of facial nerve disorders work with audiologists (hearing/balance/facial nerve testing specialist), neurologists (brain specialist), ophthalmologists (eye specialist) and physical therapists to diagnose and treat patients.  More »
• Perilymph fistula. Most commonly caused by sudden pressure changes such as in SCUBA  diving, ascent or descent on a plane or weightlifting, perilymph fistulas can cause hearing loss (either mild or severe) which may be fluctuating, ringing in the ears, and dizziness.  UC Irvine specialists can treat this condition surgically, reducing the risk of hearing loss. More »

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